Over 500 residents have cast ballots in election

By Brooks Taylor, Mt. Pleasant News

Interest, as most people expected, is high in the Aug. 1 election on whether to give Henry County permission to build a new county law enforcement/jail complex.

According to Henry County Auditor Shelly Barber, 542 county residents had cast absentee ballots as of 9 a.m. Thursday. On Tuesday, the office hosted 70 voters, she said.

She expects a heavy turnout for a special election and said several factors may be influencing the early voting.

?I?ve heard a lot of people say they are going to be on vacation then,? Barber noted. ?It is just a busy time of the year. I think the trend is for people to vote early. They want to do it and get it done. Some also have said they are voting early because they don?t want to forget it.?

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 1.